Sash positioning apparatus



Jan- 3, 970 J. R. EDMONSTON, JR., ETAL 3, 8

SASH POSITIONING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 7, 1968 INVENTORS JOSEPH R.EDMONSTON,JR.

CHARLES E. SWEENEY JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,488,884 SASH POSITIONING APPARATUSJoseph R. Edmonston, Jr., 612 Carpenters Lane, Irwin, Pa. 15642, andCharles E. Sweeney, Jr., 3229 North Hills Road, Murrysville, Pa. 15668Filed Aug. 7, 1968, Ser. No. 750,939 Int. Cl. E05d 13/10 U.S. Cl. 49-433Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to sashpositioning apparatus. Adhesive strips of the Velcro type, as disclosed1n United States Patent No. 2,717,437 are bonded to one or both of theside walls of a movable sash member. The side walls of the main framehave one or more recessed receiver portions in which an endlesselongated loop or band of flexible Velcro type adhesive i positioned ona suitable support. A section of the leap is in adhesfve contact withthe strip of Velcro adhesive bonded to the sash and maintains the sashin a fixed position relative to the main frame. A vertical force ofpreselected magnitude on the sash member orbits or moves the endlessloop of adhesive material around the support member to disengage or peeloff the previously engaged portion of the endless loop from the fixedstrip of adhesive on the sash and engage another portion of the endlessloop to another portion of the adhesive strip as the sash is movedvertically relative to the main frame member. When the vertical force onthe sash member is removed, the adhesive engagement between the portionof the loop and the adhesive strip bonded to the sash member maintainsthe sash member in a fixed position relative to the main frame. Theendless loop support member includes suitable tension means to maintainthe loop in tension to prevent wrinkling of the adhesive material andhas a configuration to provide a planar portion of the loop that is inface to face contact and adhesively engaged to the adhesive strip bondedto the sash member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This inventionrelates to sash positioning apparatus and more particularly to sashpositioning apparatus that includes an endless loop of adhesive formaintaining the sash in a predetermined position relative to a fixedframe member.

Description of the prior art The so-called double hung Windows includeupper and lower sash members mounted in parallel vertical grooves orchannels in a main frame. A counterbalancing weight is connected to thesash by a sash cord that extends over a pulley mounted in the verticalportion of the frame. The counterweight offsets the weight of the sashand maintains the sash in a predetermined, preselected relative positionWithin the frame. This type of sash balance is cumbersome and difiicultto maintain. The sash cords are subject to wear and replacement of thesash cord requires at least a partial dismantling of the main frarre togain access to the counterweight within the frame. The main frameusually includes vertical passageways for the counterweights associatedwith each sash. The fabrication and installation of this type of mainframe is expensive and adds substantially to the overall cost of thewindow assembly.

There have been many proposals in the past to provide sash positioningdevices that do not include the counterweight and the sash cords. U.S.Patent No. 2,490,676 discloses a gear rack secured to the main frame anda gear wheel and ratchet mounted on the sash. The gear wheel meshes withthe rack and the ratchet controls the position of the sash. U.S. PatentNo. 2,116,329 discloses a gear rack on the main frame and a pinion gearassociated with the sash. The pinion gear meshes with the rack and aspring tension means is provided for the pinion that limits rotation ofthe pinion and offsets the weight of the sash. US. Patent No. 3,007,194discloses a friction clutch and a helically twisted metal rod thatfunctions as a sash balance device, and U.S. Patent No. 3,375,610discloses inner and outer fixed metal tracks associated with the sashand frame and an adjustment means to control the friction between themetal tracks.

The proposed sash positioning devices, although eliminating the use ofsash cord and counterweights, substiiute mechanical devices that areequally expensive and difiicult to maintain. The gear and rackarrangement requires separate friction or spring tensioning meansassociated with the pinion gear, and the metal tracks require arelatively resilient material and fine adjustment of the frictiontherebetween. After extended use the rubbing surface of the tracks wearto the extent that the surfaces are smooth and polished and the frictiontherebetween is reduced proportionately. There is a need, therefore, forsash positioning apparatus that is simple and inexpensive to fabricateand does not require a main frame or sash member of specialconstruction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The hereinafter described invention is directedto window sash positioning apparatus to be used in a window assemblyhaving a main frame member and a vertically movable sash member. Themain frame member and the sash member have planar surfaces positionedadjacent to each other. An endless loop of flexible material having anexternal adhesive surface is positioned on a support member and isoperable to orbit within a recessed portion in one of said planarsurfaces. A portion of the endless loop external adhesive surface ispositioned in adhesive contact with the other planar surface andmaintains the sash member in a fixed position relative to the mainframe. A vertical force exerted on the sash member orbits the endlessloop on the support member and permits the sash member to berepositioned relative to the main frame. In the adjusted positionanother portion of the endless loop adhesively engages the abuttingplanar surface to fixedly position the sash member within the mainframe.

Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide sashpositioning apparatus that maintains a sash in position by adhesivecontact between a portion of the main frame and a portion of the sashmember.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sash positioning devicethat has an endless loop of adhesive material movably positioned on asupport member that is in adhesive contact with a portion of the windowassembly to maintain the sash member in fixed position relative to themain frame.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will be morecompletely disclosed and described in the following specification, theaccompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view inelevation and in partial section illustrating a portion of the mainframe and the sash member with the endless loop of adhesive materialmounted on a support member secured to the main frame.

FIGURE 2 is a view in section taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1 andillustrating the manner in which the endless loop of adhesive materialis secured to the main frame member.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the supportmember for the endless loop of adhesive material.

FIGURE 4 is a view in section taken along the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is another embodiment of a support member for the endless loopof adhesive material.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view of a window assembly illustrating therecessed portion in the main frame for the endless loop of adhesivematerial positioned on the support member illustrated in FIGURE 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings andparticularly to FIG- URES 1 and 6, there is illustrated a portion of awindow assembly generally designated by the numeral 10. The windowassembly includes a main frame 12 and a sash member 14. The main frame12 has a vertical stile 16 and a lower horizontal sill 18. The stile 16and sill 18 of the frame member 12 may be fabricated from wood, extrudedaluminum or the like and are arranged to receive and support a sashmember 14 that may be moved vertically in the main frame 12. A pane ofglass 20 is suitably secured in the sash member 14 by the horizontalmember 22 and vertical member 24.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the vertical member 24 of sash member 14 hasan outer planar surface 26 and the stile 16 of main frame member 12 hasan internal planar surface 28. It should be understood, although thesurfaces 26 and 28 are illustrated in FIGURE 2 as planar surfaces, thatsuitable grooves and protuberances may be provided in both the framemember 12 and sash member 14 to provide guides and balance bars for thesash member 14 in the main frame member 12.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the stile 16 of the main frame 12 has arecessed portion 30 therein in which a support member 32 is secured. Thesupport member 32 has a body portion 34 with a flanged securing portion36 extending rearwardly therefrom. The securing portion has suitableapertures for mounting screws 38 that secure the support member 32within the recess 30 in the stile of main frame 12. The body portion 34is generally rectangular in elevation and forms a planar backing surfacefor the endless loop as later explained. Although not illustrated, thebody portion 34 may include upstanding vertical flanges to form shoulderportions that would maintain the endless loop 48 of adhesive materialcentered thereon and prevent the adhesive material from slippinglaterally off of the body portion 34. Extending rearwardly from the bodyportion 34 are upper and lower rebent portions 40 and 42. The rebentportions 40 and 42 have limited resilience and serve to maintain atension on the endless loop. The external surfaces of the body portion34 and the rebent portions 40 and 42 are preferably smooth and polishedto permit the endless loop to slide on the external surfaces and orbitor revolve about the body portion 34.

An endless loop 48 of adhesive material extends around the body portion34 and the rebent portions 40 and 42. The endless loop 48 is preferablyformed of a flexible material that has a relatively smooth inner surfaceand an adhesive outer surface. We have found that the Velcro typeadhesive material as described in US. Patent No. 2,717,437 is suitablewhen used in conjunction with a bonded strip of similar materialpositioned on the adjacent surface of the sash member. It should beunderstood, however, that other suitable adhesive materials may be usedwithout departing from the herein described invention.

The adhesive material disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,717,437 comprises aflexible fabric material with a raised pile of synthetic resin threadsthat retain a desired shape. The loops of the pile are cut to providehooks on one thread of the severed loop. Because of the shape retainingproperties of the thread, the hook shape of the thread remains. In US.Patent No. 2,717,437 two pieces of the fabric with the hooks formed inthe pile are displaced from each other, so that the pile threads of onepiece of fabric engage the pile threads of the other piece of fabricthrough the cooperating hooks formed by the severed loops. The twopieces of fabric adhere to each other in an adhesive fashion andsubstantial energy is required to separate the engaged pieces of fabric.Subsequent improvements in this Velcro type adhesive use one surfacewith the hook shaped thread and a second pile surface of continuousloops. When brought in face to face contact the two surfaces adhere toeach other by the hooks on one surface engaging the continuous loops onthe other surface. To release one surface from the other it is necessaryto pull one surface away from the other surface. This type of adhesivematerial can withstand substantial forces in shear. For example,commercially available adhesive material has a holding power of aboutfive pounds per square inch. Because the material forming the threadsretains the desired shape, the fabrics may be adhesively engaged anddisengaged from each other many times without loss of the adhesiveholding power.

The endless loop 48 positioned on the supporting member 32 has a fabricbase with a relatively smooth internal surface 50 and an adhesiveexterior surface 52 formed by the hooked threads previously described.The endless loop 48 is slideable on the loop support body portion 34 andthe rebent portions 40 and 42 maintain the desired tension on the loop48.

The vertical member 24 of sash 14 has a strip of the adhesive material54 which may be a pile of closed loops secured to the planar surface 26.The adhesive material 54 is bonded to a strip 56 that is in turn securedto the vertical frame member 24 by screws 58. It should be understood,however, that the strip of adhesive material 54 may be bonded, wheredesired, directly to the planar surface 26 with suitable bondingmaterial. The strip of adhesive material 54 may where desired be similarto the adhesive material forming the flexible endless loop 48 displaced,however, 90 to permit the engagement of the hook portions as describedin US. Patent No. 2,717,- 437. It should be understood that the hookportion of the adhesive may either form the loop 48 or the strip 54 solong as the other member that is positioned in face to face contacttherewith is either a pile of continuous closed loops or similaradhesive material with preshaped hooks.

The endless loop 48 has an extended planar surface 60 that is in face toface contact and engaged along its length to the strip of adhesivematerial 54 secured to the vertical member 24 of sash 14. With thisarrangement there is a substantial area of the endless loop 48 inadhesive contact with the adhesive strip 54 to provide the desiredsupport for the sash member 14 within the main frame 12.

To reposition the sash member 14 relative to the frame 12, a verticalforce is exerted on the sash member 14. For example, a downward force ofpredetermined magnitude on the sash 14 will move the sash member 14downwardly and orbit or revolve the loop 48 in a clockwise direction asviewed in FIGURE 1 about the loop support body portion 34. Similarly,when the sash member is subjected to an upward force that exceeds theadhesive holding force between the adhesive members 48 and 54, the loop48 will slide on the surface of the body portion 34 and orbit or revolvein a counterclockwise direction about the support body portion 34. Inthe newly adjusted position of the sash member 14, the planar portion 60of loop member 48 is in face to face contact with and engages anothersection of the adhesive strip 54 secured to the sash member 14 tofixedly maintain the sash member 14 in the newly adjusted position.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4 there is illustrated another embodiment ofthe loop support member that is generally designated by the numeral 62.The support member 62 is of unitary construction and has mountingflanges 64 and 66 secured thereto and extending laterally therefrom. Themounting flanges 64 and 66 are arranged to mount the support member 62within a recess in either the main frame 12 or the sash member 14. Thesupport member 62 has annular flange members 68 and 70 on opposite sidesof "a recessed portion 72 in which the endless loop 48 is positioned inslidable relation to the surface of support member 62. The endless loop48 is free to revolve or orbit about the external surface of the supportmember 62 and function in a similar manner to the endless loop 48positioned on the support member 32 pi'eviously described.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the manner in which the support member 62 may bepositioned in a mating recessed portion 74 in the main frame 16. Thesash member 14 is positioned within the main frame .12 with the strip 76of adhesive material secured to the planar surface 26 and in adhesivecontact with the elongated planar surface of the loop 48. The sashmember 14 may be moved vertically relafive to the stiles 16 of mainframe 12 in a similar manner to the previously described sashpositioning device illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 5 illustrates another embodiment of the endless loop supportingdevice and is generally designated by the numeral 78 and includes aplurality of cylindrical meinbers 80, 82 and 84 positioned in spacedparallel relation to each other. The cylindrical members have axiallypositioned shafts 86, 88 and 90 that may be suitably supported withinthe main frame 12 to permit the cylindrical members 80, 82 and 84 torotate and permit the endless loop 48 of adhesive material to orbittherearound. Where desired, a resilient means 92, diagrammaticallyillustrated in FIGURE 5, may be utilized to exert a tension on the loopmember 48. The loop supporting device 78 may be suitably positionedwithin either the main frame 12 or the sash member 14 and engage a stripof adhesive material secured to the other portion of the window assembly10.

Although only one sash positioning device has been illustrated inFIGURES 1-6 inclusive, it should be understood that two or more sashpositioning devices may be utilized on either one or both sides of themain frame member.

It will be apparent from the previous description that a movable endlessloop of adhesive material suitably supported on either the movable sashmember or the fixed main frame and in contact with a planar surface ofthe other member provides a sash positioning device that has thenecessary holding power to maintain a window sash in a desired adjustedposition. The window sash is easily adjusted to a second position byexerting a vertical force on the sash member and the sash member remainsin the second position after the vertical force is removed by theadhesive force exerted by the adhesive material of the endless loop onthe planar surface of the other member.

We claim:

1. A window sash positioning device for use with a window assemblyhaving a main frame and a sash member with a pair of planar surfacespositioned adjacent to each other comprising,

one of said planar surfaces having a recessed portion,

an endless loop of flexible material having an external adhesivesurface,

a support member for said endless loop, said endless loop positioned onsaid support member and operable to orbit within said recessed receiverportion, and

a portion of said endless loop external adhesive surface positioned inadhesive contact with a portion of said other planar surface to maintainsaid sash member in a fixed position relative to said main frame.

2. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 Whichincludes,

a strip of adhesive material having an external adhesive surface securedto said other planar surface and in adhesive contact with a portion ofsaid endless loop external adhesive surface.

3. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said endless loop of adhesive material is operable upon said sash beingsubjected to a predetermined vertical force to orbit about said supportmember and peel away said portion of said adhesive material from saidportion of said planar surface and adhesively engage a second portion ofsaid endless loop to a second portion of said planar surface. 4. Awindow sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 which includes,

tensioning means for said endless loop on said support member that isoperable to maintain said endless loop of adhesive material under apreselected tension on said support member. 5. A window sash positioningdevice as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said endless loop of adhesive material on said support member includesan elongated planar portion in adhesive contact with a portion of saidother planar surface so that a vertical force of preselected magnitudeis necessary to peel away said portion of adhesive material from saidplanar surface. 6. A window sash positioning device as set forth inclaim 5 in which,

said support member includes a pair of spaced shoulder portions tomaintain said endless loop of adhesive material centered on said supportmember. 7. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 inwhich,

said support member includes a body portion and a rearwardly extendingflanged portion, said flanged portion secured to a wall of said recessedportion and mounting said support member within said recessed portion,said body portion having an elongated planar surface facing said planarsurface of said other member, said body portion having upper and lowerresilient rebent portions, said endless loop extending around said bodyportion and said rebent portions in abutting relation with said bodyportion elongated planar surface, and said resilient rebent portionsmaintaining a preselected tension on said endless loop. 8. A window sashpositioning device as set forth in claim 2 in which,

said endless loop of adhesive material external surface includes aplurality of pile-like hook members, and said adhesive strip externalsurface includes a plurality of pile-like loops, said pile-like hookmembers when positioned in face to face contact with said pile-likeloops engage said loops and adhesively secure said endless loop to saidstrip. 9. A window sash positioning device as set forth in claim 1 inwhich,

said loop support member includes a body portion having laterallyextending mounting flanges for mounting said support member in saidrecessed portion, said body portion having annular spaced flange membersand a central recessed portion, said endless loop of adhesive materialpositioned in said recessed portion and said flange members maintainingsaid endless loop centered in said recessed portion. 10. A window sashpositioning device as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said support member includes a plurality of cylindrical membersrotatably supported in said recessed portion in spaced parallel relationto each other, each of said cylindrical members having parallel annularflange portions. said endless loop of adhesive material extending aroundsaid spaced cylindrical members between said spaced flange portions, and

7 8 means to tension said endless loop on said support DAVID J.WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner member' PHILIP c. KANNAN, AssistantExaminer References Clted UNITED STATES PATENTS US. Cl. X.R. 628,3417/1899 Lowery et a1. 49445 X 5 49451; 16493 2,449,918 9/1948 Valentine49433 2,607,961 8/1952 Allen 49-451 X

